Negative Health Conditions Research Articles

Characterization of the self-perception of oral health in the Brazilian adult population.

This article aims to perform an analysis of the factors that determine the self-perception of oral health of Brazilians, based on a multidimensional methodology basis. This is a cross-sectional study with data from a national survey. A household interview was conducted with a sample of 60,202 adults. Self-perception of oral health was considered the outcome variable and sociodemographic characteristics, self-care and oral health condition, use of dental services, general health and work condition as independent variables. The dimensionality reduction test was used and the variables that showed a relationship were submitted to logistic regression. The negative oral health condition was related to difficulty feeding, negative evaluation of the last dental appointment, negative self-perception of general health condition, not flossing, upper dental loss, and reason for the last dental appointment. The use of a multidimensional methodological basis was able to design explanatory models for the self-perception of oral health of Brazilian adults, and these results should be considered in the implementation, evaluation, and qualification of the oral health network.

Exploration Of Hydration Practices And Prolonged Endurance Exercise Effects On Plasma Apelin Concentration

Reduced circulating concentrations of the endogenous peptide apelin is implicated in many negative health conditions, and apelin administration can reverse sarcopenia processes. While acute and chronic exercise elicits greater circulating apelin concentrations, little attention has been given to apelin’s water regulatory roles (i.e., AVP opposition) and manipulation by water intake to enhance human health. PURPOSE: We investigated the impact of hydration status and process on plasma apelin following prolonged endurance exercise and after a subsequent water challenge. METHODS: Twenty-two male cyclists (age median=54y and range=29-72y) completed a 161km event (mean=26°C, 76%RH; maximum=30°C, 93%RH; mean finish time = 372 ± 93min). Participants were interviewed for dietary intake in the morning and during the ride. Hydration biomarkers included body mass change (BMΔ), urine specific gravity (Usg) and color (Ucol), plasma osmolality (Posm) and copeptin (Pcop), and apelin (Pap), which were collected before (PRE), immediately after the ride (POST), and 1h following a 650mL water bolus (POST1h). RESULTS: Pap paradoxically decreased after exercise (PRE = 1.19 ± 0.29, POST = 1.02 ± 0.27 ng/mL; p = 0.04). It is plausible that hypohydration at POST (according to -1.96% BMΔ and Pcop, Usg, Ucol (p < 0.05), but not Posm (p = 0.31)) masked any drive of acute exercise to increase Pap, or that prolonged endurance exercise differentially affects Pap, although POST and POST1h Pap did not correlate with finish time (p = 0.76 and 0.31, respectively). Interestingly, the water bolus did not alter Pap concentrations versus POST (POST1h = 1.0 ± 0.29 ng/mL; p = 0.66). POST Pap correlated with PRE Posm (r = -0.47), and POST1h Pap with PRE Ucol (r = -0.46; both p < 0.05), suggesting baseline hydration might alter Pap responses. Despite previous reports, Pap was not significantly correlated with age at any time point (p = 0.36 to 0.73) perhaps due to chronic exercise practices of these cyclists. CONCLUSIONS: This real-world scenario demonstrated complex relationships among plasma apelin, exercise, and hydration. Our data suggests insufficient baseline hydration might mitigate the acute exercise-induced Pap elevation. As an increasingly valuable modulator of chronic health, further research should address complexities of Pap responses.

Sick, salient and full of salt, sugar and fat: Understanding the impact of nutritional warnings on consumers’ associations through the salience bias

The aim of the present work was to explore the effect of the inclusion of nutritional warnings on consumer associations with labels of ultra-processed products. The study was conducted in Uruguay at two points in time, before and after the compulsory implementation of nutritional warnings. A total of 163 participants evaluated three labels of ultra-processed products using a word association task. In the first evaluation (T1), performed 9 months before the entry into force of nutritional warnings, labels were presented without warnings. Nine months later (15 days after the entry into force of the policy), participants evaluated the labels with warnings again (T2). Data were analyzed using content analysis. At T1, when labels were presented without nutritional warnings, responses to the word association task were related to a description of the product category, expected sensory characteristics of the products, brand names, liking and eating occasions. However, when the labels were presented with the warnings at T2, a significant increase in the frequency of mention of responses was observed within the categories Excessive content of sugar/fat/sodium, Not healthy, Diseases and negative health conditions, Rejection to consume, and Unexpected information. Results from the present work suggest that immediately after their implementation, nutritional warnings cause a salience bias that make excessive nutrient content and its negative health consequences more salient in consumers’ minds, especially in the case of products with a particular health-related connotation.

The association between oral health and food avoidance among older adults in the United States

ObjectivesThis study examines the association between oral health and food avoidance among older adults in the United States. Study designA population-based sample of 1,278 adults aged 51+ from the Health and Retirement Study was used. A logistic regression model was performed to evaluate various oral health conditions and food avoidance behavior among older adults. Results were quantified as odds ratios (OR). ResultsThis study found a significant association between oral health and food avoidance in older adults. Individuals with teeth loss, poor self-rated oral health, and teeth or gum sensitivity experienced more food avoidance. ConclusionsGeriatric health care professionals assessing older adults’ well-being can be informed by this study outcome to consider oral health as a potential risk factor for food avoidance. This study can inform policymakers to develop oral health promotion programs and goals for older adults, and also consider nutritional support for older adults with negative oral health conditions.

Substance use prevention services in juvenile justice and behavioral health: results from a national survey

BackgroundThis study examined the national availability of substance use prevention (SUP) within juvenile justice (JJ) and their primary behavioral health (BH) providers, and the relationships between the availability of SUP and agency-level measures of organizational structure, staffing, and youth characteristics. A three-stage national probability sampling process was used to select participants for a national survey that included, among other facets of community supervision (CS) and BH practices, questions on agency characteristics, youth characteristics, whether the agency/provider directly provided SUP services, and whether the agency/provider directly provided substance use and/or mental health treatment. This paper focuses on SUP services along with agency/provider and youth characteristics related to providing SUP.ResultsThe response rate for both CS agencies (n = 195) and BH providers (n = 271) was 96%. Complex samples logistic regression initially examined univariate associations of each variable and identified candidates for a final multivariate model. Overall, only one-third of CS and BH providers reported offering SUP services, with BH providers being significantly more likely than CS agencies to provide SUP services. In addition, likelihood of SUP was significantly lower among agencies where the substance use distribution of the caseload was below the median. Controlling for master’s level staff and the substance use distribution, CS agencies were about 67% less likely to offer SUP when compared to BH providers.ConclusionsGiven the high rates of substance use among justice-involved youth and that substance use is an established risk for several negative behaviors, outcomes, and health conditions, these findings suggest that evidence-based prevention services should likely be expanded in justice settings, and perhaps included as part of CS programs, even when youth do not initially present with SU service needs.

Exploration of the health status of experienced New Brunswick paramedics

Literature reports that paramedics represent an at-risk occupation for the development of health problems. At least half of the paramedic population presents at least one risk factor associated with a negative health condition. These reports may suffer a "mono-method bias" where most reported outcomes are based on a single screening tool approach (may attenuate or inflate the prevalence). The current study characterizes the health status of a cohort of twenty-five experienced New Brunswick (Canadian province) paramedics. To understand possible limitations of past research, health status was characterized using four different methods: two methods using only one health measure and two were combined methods, integrating outcomes from at least two health measures to determine the prevalence of a given health status. Mono-bias was observed when using the single health measure methods. The difference among the four methods highlighted that a third of the cohort seemed unaware of their health condition. This result shed additional light on paramedics' health, where a high proportion of paramedics worked without knowledge of their health conditions. Based on a two health measures combined method, it was observed that only two-fifths of the current sample had no health conditions or could otherwise be considered as a "healthy". Because the literature has focused on single screening methods, our results were difficult to compare. However, there was a consensus that paramedics represent an at-risk occupation comprised of health problems. This study was exploratory and should be the basis for further research.

Multi-Omic Biological Age Estimation and Its Correlation With Wellness and Disease Phenotypes: A Longitudinal Study of 3,558 Individuals.

Biological age (BA), derived from molecular and physiological measurements, has been proposed to better predict mortality and disease than chronological age (CA). In the present study, a computed estimate of BA was investigated longitudinally in 3,558 individuals using deep phenotyping, which encompassed a broad range of biological processes. The Klemera-Doubal algorithm was applied to longitudinal data consisting of genetic, clinical laboratory, metabolomic, and proteomic assays from individuals undergoing a wellness program. BA was elevated relative to CA in the presence of chronic diseases. We observed a significantly lower rate of change than the expected ~1 year/year (to which the estimation algorithm was constrained) in BA for individuals participating in a wellness program. This observation suggests that BA is modifiable and suggests that a lower BA relative to CA may be a sign of healthy aging. Measures of metabolic health, inflammation, and toxin bioaccumulation were strong predictors of BA. BA estimation from deep phenotyping was seen to change in the direction expected for both positive and negative health conditions. We believe BA represents a general and interpretable "metric for wellness" that may aid in monitoring aging over time.

A Systematic Review of the Impact of Disaster on the Mental Health of Medical Responders.

Medical responders are at-risk of experiencing a wide range of negative psychological health conditions following a disaster. Published literature was reviewed on the adverse psychological health outcomes in medical responders to various disasters and mass casualties in order to: (1) assess the psychological impact of disasters on medical responders; and (2) identify the possible risk factors associated with psychological impacts on medical responders. A literature search of PubMed, Discovery Service, Science Direct, Google Scholar, and Cochrane databases for studies on the prevalence/risk factors of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other mental disorders in medical responders of disasters and mass casualties was carried out using pre-determined keywords. Two reviewers screened the 3,545 abstracts and 28 full-length articles which were included for final review. Depression and PTSD were the most studied outcomes in medical responders. Nurses reported higher levels of adverse outcomes than physicians. Lack of social support and communication, maladaptive coping, and lack of training were important risk factors for developing negative psychological outcomes across all types of disasters. Disasters have significant adverse effects on the mental well-being of medical responders. The prevalence rates and presumptive risk factors varied among three different types of disasters. There are certain high-risk, vulnerable groups among medical responders, as well as certain risk factors for adverse psychological outcomes. Adapting preventive measures and mitigation strategies aimed at high-risk groups would be beneficial in decreasing negative outcomes.

Urban Ambient Air Pollution and Behavioural Disorders

Urban ambient air pollution is identified as a risk factor for cardiovascular and respiratory morbidity and mortality. There is growing evidence suggesting associations between air pollution and a wide range of additional negative health conditions. The existing literature supports the association between exposure to ambient air pollutants and brain health. Among such reported effects are increased incidence of neurological and psychiatric disorders including cognitive decline, anxiety, depression, drug abuse, and suicide.

Wearable Activity Monitors as Part of a Childhood Obesity Treatment Program

PURPOSE: It is well known that childhood obesity has become a common issue in the United States (1), and that obesity contributes to a multitude of chronic diseases and negative health conditions (2). One of the biggest challenges in the treatment and prevention of childhood obesity is that the goal of these programs is primarily to modify behaviors that occur outside of the program space. The purpose of this study was to summarize the findings from a 6-month program that used wearable activity monitors (WAM) as part of a clinical obesity treatment program for fifteen children in Arizona (USA) between December 2015 to November 2017. METHODS: Obese children were referred to participate in this program by their pediatrician. Participants were provided a WAM that was used to monitor their physical activity (PA) levels, heart rate, and sleep habits. For the first week, participants were instructed not to change their behaviors so that baseline PA data could be collected. Subsequently, appropriate step and heart rate zone goals were set and progressively increased each week that a participant met their previous goal. RESULTS: Adherence to wearing the WAM was high, with only about 1.3% of activity data and 3% of sleep data missing throughout the entire program. Three children dropped out of the study before the program was completed. For the children who completed the program, modest improvements were noted for step count, and healthy sleep habits were found to be positively correlated with PA. In baseline data collection, the children walked on average 8,900 steps per day. In the final week, the children recorded 9,784 daily steps on average, representing approximately a 10% increase in the average number of steps taken. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, childhood obesity treatment programs focus heavily on modifying behaviors that occur outside of the clinic setting. A WAM appears to be a feasible approach to continuously monitor and increase the PA of obese children. Including WAM and progressive goal setting in a clinical obesity treatment program for children may be an effective method to increase PA levels outside of the clinical setting. Further exploration of the link between healthy sleep habits and PA could yield additional findings useful to childhood obesity treatment and prevention.

Added Load Alters Ankle And Knee Joint Moments During Stair Ascent

INTRODUCTION: Approximately 66% of the United States is overweight or obese. Obesity is associated with many negative health conditions including osteoarthritis. Research has investigated the effects of increased mass on gait biomechanics, however weight-related changes stair locomotion biomechanics are less understood. PURPOSE: to assess changes in lower extremity joint moments associated with acutely added body mass during stair ascent. METHODS: Ten college aged participants performed 5 stair ascent trials in each of 5 loading conditions: body weight (BW), BW+5%, BW+10%, BW+15%, and BW+20%. Mass was added using a weighted vest. An 18-camera motion capture system (240 Hz) and embedded force platform (1200 Hz) were used to collect kinematics and ground reaction forces simultaneously. Commercial software was used to calculate ankle, knee and hip joint moments during the stance phase of second step of a five-step stairway. Univariate ANOVAs with Tukey’s post-hoc tests were used to compare peak ankle, knee and hip joint moments from each weighting condition. RESULTS: Ankle plantarflexion and knee extension moments increased with added load (Table 1). Hip extension moments were not altered with added load. DISCUSSIONS/CONCLUSION: The ankle joint is the primary contributor to increased lower extremity joint moments in response to added load during stair ascent. Though an omnibus effect of added load was observed at the knee, only one post-hoc comparison was statistically different (BW vs. BW+15%) suggesting that the knee is not responsible for increased propulsion in response to added load during stair ascent. Interestingly, no changes in peak joint moments were observed at the hip joint. A limitation of this study was that the acutely added load was not similar in location or physical properties to the increased load associated with obesity which may limit the generalizability of these findings to obese individuals.Table 1: Mean ankle, knee and hip joint moments during stair ascent in the control and added load conditions. P-value represents omnibus findings of the univariate ANOVA.

Adverse Childhood Experiences Ontology for Mental Health Surveillance, Research, and Evaluation: Advanced Knowledge Representation and Semantic Web Techniques.

BackgroundAdverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), a set of negative events and processes that a person might encounter during childhood and adolescence, have been proven to be linked to increased risks of a multitude of negative health outcomes and conditions when children reach adulthood and beyond.ObjectiveTo better understand the relationship between ACEs and their relevant risk factors with associated health outcomes and to eventually design and implement preventive interventions, access to an integrated coherent dataset is needed. Therefore, we implemented a formal ontology as a resource to allow the mental health community to facilitate data integration and knowledge modeling and to improve ACEs’ surveillance and research.MethodsWe use advanced knowledge representation and semantic Web tools and techniques to implement the ontology. The current implementation of the ontology is expressed in the description logic ALCRIQ(D), a sublogic of Web Ontology Language (OWL 2).ResultsThe ACEs Ontology has been implemented and made available to the mental health community and the public via the BioPortal repository. Moreover, multiple use-case scenarios have been introduced to showcase and evaluate the usability of the ontology in action. The ontology was created to be used by major actors in the ACEs community with different applications, from the diagnosis of individuals and predicting potential negative outcomes that they might encounter to the prevention of ACEs in a population and designing interventions and policies.ConclusionsThe ACEs Ontology provides a uniform and reusable semantic network and an integrated knowledge structure for mental health practitioners and researchers to improve ACEs’ surveillance and evaluation.

The influence of mood versus relevant self-perceptions in older adults' interest in negative health-related information.

Past research suggests that, although older adults may tend to prefer positive over negative information, they may be more willing to consider relevant negative information when in a positive affective state (Growney & Hess, 2017). However, the underlying mechanism involved in this phenomenon is unclear. In the present study, we aimed to identify this mechanism and disentangle mood and self-perceptions as potential personal resources. In Study 1, young and older adults completed either a positive or negative mood manipulation task, or a health manipulation task designed to accentuate positive or negative perceptions of one's health-related behaviors. Participants then selected three of six health-related articles to read based on their headlines, half of which were positively worded and half of which were negative, but offered self-corrective information. Participants in the positive health condition selected more negative health-related articles to read than those in the negative health condition, with the effect being specific to older adults. Simple manipulations of mood had no effect on article selection, suggesting that older adults used their positive self-perceptions as a resource for considering negative information. In addition, endorsement of information goals mediated the relationship between manipulated health behavior perceptions and article selections for both young and older adults. Results from Study 2 demonstrate that effects are specific to situations with high-informative versus low-informative content. Our findings suggest that older adults' willingness to focus on negative self-relevant information is bolstered by enhancing self-perceptions of self within the domain of interest. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

Relationships of deployment and combat experiences to postdeployment negative health conditions among Army National Guard soldiers

ABSTRACT An interest of researchers and practitioners has been postdeployment adjustment of returned soldiers, though the primary focus has been investigating the prevalence of psychiatric conditions. Less attention has been paid to nonclinical conditions, which still have posed significant adjustment problems for soldiers, in particular, for reserve soldiers who revert back to civilian life, family, and employment. The present study examined the occurrence of postdeployment problems among returned Army National Guard soldiers (N = 4,567 in 50 company-sized units). Survey items reliably indicated 7 problem areas. Highest prevalence of problems was being angry (35.9%) and being unable to sleep (43.3%), followed by alcohol abuse (25.1% reported 5 or more drinks in 1 day). Longer deployment lengths were associated with troubled relationships and aggression toward the significant other adult and children in the household. More deployments were associated with aggression toward household children. Self-reported general combat trauma and having killed or wounded someone were associated with all problem areas. Findings are discussed relative to how combat exposure likely alters soldiers’ perceptions and behaviors, including feelings of loneliness and isolation, and risk-taking behaviors of alcohol abuse and aggression toward others.

A model for trauma-informed primary care.

Childhood trauma has been associated with negative health behaviors and conditions in adulthood. However, few primary care providers screen for trauma or alter their care to accommodate the multiple effects of trauma on patient health. The purposes of this article were to discuss the health consequences of childhood trauma and to offer a model for trauma-informed primary care (TIPC). The TIPC model provides a guide for primary care providers to screen for adverse childhood experiences and personalize the care of patients with a history of childhood trauma. The model, based on the trauma-informed care model used in mental health, has five components: (a) screening and trauma recognition, (b) understanding the health effects of trauma, (c) patient-centered communication and care, (d) emphasis on emotional safety and avoiding triggers, and (e) knowledge of helpful treatment for trauma patients. The TIPC model offers a theoretical underpinning for improving the care, health care experiences, and health outcomes for patients with a history of childhood trauma.

An Ontological Framework to Improve Surveillance of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs).

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) have been proven to be linked to increased risks of a multitude of negative health outcomes and conditions when children reach adulthood and beyond. To better understand the relationship between ACEs and the associated health outcomes and eventually to pan and implement preventive interventions, access to an integrated coherent actionable data set is crucial. In this paper, we introduce a formal reusable ontological framework to capture the knowledge in the domain of Adverse Childhood Experiences to improve ACEs surveillance and response.

Preventing suicides in the U.S. military.

In the past decade, the U.S. military has observed increased suicides among its personnel, and now, rates for the military services exceed civilian age-adjusted rates. Numerous and varied approaches to suicide prevention are now evident, though with measured success. To address this need, levels typically used in the health field to describe interventions (i.e., primary, secondary, and tertiary) are described and used. The discussion clarifies fundamental differences in the stage at which the negative health condition is intervened, and for the intervention, its purpose, target audience, and strategy aim among approaches to suicide prevention. More important current gaps and possible directions for future approaches to suicide prevention are identified. Lacking are secondary prevention approaches, in particular, those that more effectively identify those at-risk and provide access to appropriate behavioral health care. Research findings to-date suggest these would lead to decreased suicides. (PsycINFO Database Record

Sugar reduction in fruit nectars: Impact on consumers' sensory and hedonic perception

Sugar sweetened beverages are one of the main sources of added sugar in the diet. Therefore, sugar reduction in these products could contribute to the prevention of various negative health conditions, such as obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. In this context, the present work aimed to study consumer sensory and hedonic perception towards sugar reduction in fruit nectars. Five sequential difference thresholds for added sugar in three fruit nectars (passion fruit, orange/passion fruit and orange/pomegranate) were determined based on consumer perception. In each test, difference thresholds were estimated using survival analysis based on the responses of 50 consumers to six paired-comparison tests. Each pair was composed of two samples, a control nectar and a sample that was reduced in added sugar from the control. Consumers were asked to try each of the samples in each pair and to indicate which was sweeter. Then, consumers' sensory and hedonic perception of nectar samples was evaluated for each nectar using a 9-point hedonic scale and a check-all-that-apply question. Difference thresholds were estimated in 4.20%–8.14% of the added sugar concentration of the nectars. No significant differences in overall liking were detected for fruit nectars with 20% sugar reduction. However, large heterogeneity in consumer hedonic reaction towards sugar reduction was found, which should be taken into account in the design of sugar reduction programs. Consumer hedonic reaction towards sugar reduction was product dependent. Results from the present work reinforce the idea that gradual sugar reduction in sugar sweetened beverages is a feasible strategy that could contribute to reduce the sugar intake of the population.

Perceived workplace adversity and correctional officer psychological well-being: an international examination of the impact of officer response styles

Correctional officers work in a highly challenging environment and are at a heightened risk of a range of negative stress-related health conditions. This study examines how correctional officer responses to adversity moderate the association between perceived workplace adversity and psychological well-being. The aim was to assess the degree that perceived workplace adversity predicts correctional officer psychological well-being and the subsequent impact on negative organizational outcomes such as absenteeism, presenteeism and job dissatisfaction. Hundred and seventy four officers completed an online questionnaire including measures of perceived workplace adversity, officer responses, psychological well-being and organizational impact. Structural Equation Modelling revealed that a heightened perception of workplace adversity predicted lower psychological well-being and in turn increased negative organizational impacts. Analyses indicated that using an interpersonal/solution focused response style moderated the relationship between perceived workplace adversity and psychological well-being, reducing its negative impact on well-being and in turn the frequency of negative organizational impacts. These findings offer insight into how officers’ perceptions of their working environment and how they respond to workplace adversity influence their psychological well-being and the organizations that employ them.

Health and Mental Health Outcome of Work Addiction among Full-time Employees in China

Purpose: Work addiction, or workaholism, can be conceptualized as a non-substance-related behavioral addiction that incorporates the experience of “classic” addiction symptoms similar to alcohol and drug addiction. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of work addiction and its association with demographic characteristics, work factors, and adverse health outcome among full-time employees in China. Methods: This study included 1000 adult full-time Chinese employees (505 women, 495 men) in the People’s Republic of China. They completed a web survey on their work behavior, depression symptoms, and general physical functioning. Results: Participants who were of younger age, had longer work hours, and had more supervisees showed higher risks of work addiction than their respective comparison groups. Gender, marital status, and educational level did not relate to work addiction. Among all participants, 43.4% would be classified as work addicts, 57.3% as having moderate to severe depression, and 15.9% as having moderate to severe impairment in physical functioning. The work addict group had 1.34 times the risk of depression and 2.32 times the risk of poor physical functioning compared to the non-work addict group. Discussions: Work addiction is common among full-time employees in China. It is related to high rates of depression and negative health condition. Prevention and intervention strategies should be in place to tackle this phenomenon. Findings about the relative risks can assist the identification of vulnerable groups for early detection and intervention of work addiction tendency.